New mock......i like

CarolinaCash · Post #1 » by **CarolinaCash** » Thu May 15, 2008 3:31 am

Real GM's new mock draft has the Bobcats picking Russell Westbrook. I fully endorse this pick after much research. Westbrook is a perfect Larry Brown player. He is the best defensive guard in the draft by a long shot. He won Pac 10 defensive player of the year over his teammate Collison and WSU's Kyle Weaver. He is a sick athlete who can dunk with the best of them. If OJ Mayo had to play against Westbrook every game he wouldn't be a 1st round pick......Westbrook dominated him. Westbrook will be able to backup Felton and Richardson and will be the eventual replacement for JRich. He is only 6'3 but his huge hands and huge wingspan will allow him to play shooting guard.

I hate to pat myself on the shoulder after the fact but I've been right every year on who the Bobcats should have selected. I wanted them to trade their picks so badly for Paul but they didn't do that......so then I wanted them to draft Felton at 5 and Granger at 13. I wanted Rudy Gay at 3 followed by Roy and then Morrison. If we didn't trade the 8th pick I wanted Thad Young, Thornton, or Noah at that selection. This year I really want Westbrook....followed by OJ Mayo (if he's there), Anthony Randolph, Arthur, Augustine, and Love.

My dream scenario:

Bobcats draft Westbrook and trade Matt Carroll and Gerald Wallace for Elton Brand:

Felton
JRich
Morrison
Brand
Okafor

with Westbrook, Dudley, May, and Nazr as the 1st 4 off the bench.

I do have a feeling though that the Westbrook pick will not happen due to the fact that we will end up with a top 2 selection on Tuesday and either Beasley or Rose.

Post #2 » by **fatlever** » Thu May 15, 2008 3:37 am

i could live with westbrook at 8. it would be nice to have a lockdown man defender on the perimeter.

e4Nf6 · Post #3 » by **e4Nf6** » Thu May 15, 2008 4:57 am

It might come down to Augustin or Westbrook.....

If it did I would take a deep breath and pick Westbrook. Augustin will be a bit better next year, and will always be a solid player. Westbrook could be a star and will always be at least useful because of his defense.

Rich4114 · Post #4 » by **Rich4114** » Thu May 15, 2008 5:19 am

This guy seems pretty damn explosive for someone who's only 6'3". I'm not a fan of his shooting or FT%'s though and while he looks like he could be a nice Monta Ellis type of guy, we really need help in the front court. I would be more on board with this if we were planning on trading Wallace for some size.

amcoolio · Post #5 » by **amcoolio** » Thu May 15, 2008 5:55 am

A "lockdown" defender and 6' 3''?

Explain.

Also, didn't he come off the bench for UCLA?

CarolinaCash · Post #6 » by **CarolinaCash** » Thu May 15, 2008 12:17 pm

Why don't you read.......he has a wingspan of a 6'8 guy. That's what matters when playing defense......not your height if you are a guard. He is a lockdown defender....he was put on the opposing teams best point guard, shooting guard, or small forward and shut them down. OJ Mayo couldn't do anything with him. Also, the UCLA starting lineup was Collison, Westbrook, Shipp, Moute, and Love.......thanks for playing. Next time do some research before posting on something you obviously have no clue about.

spectre_ · Post #7 » by **spectre_** » Thu May 15, 2008 2:57 pm

fatlever wrote:i could live with westbrook at 8. it would be nice to have a lockdown man defender on the perimeter.

Absolutely. If we hang at 8th and don't trade the pick this is the type of rook I wouldn't mind bringing in.

Look at Stuckey during the last couple ORL games. Be nice to have someone like him.

Post #8 » by **fatlever** » Thu May 15, 2008 3:27 pm

it was cool to see stuckey playing well the other day as many of us on this board were big stuckey fans this time last season. last years draft really is shaping up to be one of the deepest drafts in recent memory.

CarolinaCash · Post #9 » by **CarolinaCash** » Thu May 15, 2008 3:42 pm

Would you guys trade Gerald Wallace, Matt Carroll, and the 8th pick for Elton Brand and Corey Maggette?

Post #10 » by **fatlever** » Thu May 15, 2008 3:47 pm

yes. absolutely.

but, can we then turn around and trade maggette though?

why on earth would the clippers make that deal?

amcoolio · Post #11 » by **amcoolio** » Thu May 15, 2008 3:54 pm

CarolinaCash wrote:Why don't you read.......he has a wingspan of a 6'8 guy. That's what matters when playing defense......not your height if you are a guard. He is a lockdown defender....he was put on the opposing teams best point guard, shooting guard, or small forward and shut them down. OJ Mayo couldn't do anything with him. Also, the UCLA starting lineup was Collison, Westbrook, Shipp, Moute, and Love.......thanks for playing. Next time do some research before posting on something you obviously have no clue about.

Wow...touchy are we? Did Westbrook pay you off?

He is no Stuckney, thats for sure. Best case scenario is Rondo, but Rondo somehow progressed really well in his second year, probably becuase of KG and Allen being on the team as well.

I have "clues", I watched the NCAA this year. Westbrook was a no-name until the second half of the season. He struggled to come off the bench his freshman year. Defensive specialists can be had in the later part of the draft, not the mid-lottery. Look at how disappointing Brewer was this year.

Post #12 » by **BigSlam** » Thu May 15, 2008 5:16 pm

He's nothing like Rondo. He's a poor, poor mans Wade. He looked really good running the point when Collison was out and is an "in your face and all over your business" defender. Super powerful, quick and explosive.

His outside J needs some work but his form is good.

I like him.

I'd rather go with Randolph though if he is there when we pick (I think!!)

CarolinaCash · Post #13 » by **CarolinaCash** » Thu May 15, 2008 6:21 pm

amcoolio you really have no clue......Rondo??? Wow that's the worst comparison I've ever seen. He is a poor man's Dwayne Wade....and not that poor. He is 19 years old and is just starting to scratch the surface. Westbrook is just starting to play up to his body because he was 5-10 as a senior in high school playing the point before he grew.

cash, no need to go there.

Post #14 » by **fatlever** » Thu May 15, 2008 6:49 pm

i think one of the main factors for westbrook will be if he manages playing to his strengths offensively. i guess, this is where you can compare a bit to rondo. rondo cant shoot, but is lightning fast. so far rondo has done a good job of playing to his strengths and not trying to prove to the world that he is an all-around offensive threat. sure he'll shoot the jumper if its wide open, but other than that he looks to exploit his quickness. i would hate to see westbrook get caught up in trying to prove he is something that he is not, at least not until he is ready. if he plays to his strengths he'll have a high fg% because he will be taking nothing but close range shots. the last thing we need is another low fg% shooter from outside.

what do we know about westbrooks character?

Post #15 » by **fatlever** » Thu May 15, 2008 6:54 pm

fatlever wrote:what do we know about westbrooks character?

dx says

strong intangibles/work ethic

e4Nf6 · Post #16 » by **e4Nf6** » Thu May 15, 2008 11:15 pm

Rondo and Wade are good comparisons IMO

I'm skeptical he'll ever be a "real" pg. He'll never have the handles... but that isnt neccesarily a huge problem. If he has to play sg that's fine I'm not so worried about his height.He gives up a few inches to the Joe Johnsons/Rip Hamiltons of the world, but he is just as strong as those guys and A LOT quicker.

He reminds me of Crash in that, when in transition going to the hoop you are just 100% sure he's gonna finish or get a foul.

Post #17 » by **Paydro70** » Fri May 16, 2008 12:48 am

Well, Rondo is one of those relatively rare cases (along with Monta Ellis, actually) where he really did learn to shoot. His jump shot % this year is up to .426, equal to Iverson, better than Redd, Johnson, or Howard. Granted, he's probably more open than those guys, but hey, not everybody who's open can hit that shot. Maybe Westbrook can do the same thing.

amcoolio · Post #18 » by **amcoolio** » Fri May 16, 2008 1:35 am

CarolinaCash wrote:amcoolio you really have no clue......Rondo??? Wow that's the worst comparison I've ever seen. He is a poor man's Dwayne Wade....and not that poor. He is 19 years old and is just starting to scratch the surface. Westbrook is just starting to play up to his body because he was 5-10 as a senior in high school playing the point before he grew.

cash, no need to go there.

A UCLA grad, huh?

Trust me, I watched UCLA this year (really because of Love though) and everytime I saw Westbrook he looked/played pretty much like Rondo did in college. So I don't buy the "worst comparison I've ever seen" argument. A worse comparison would be Westbrook is like Eddy Curry.

I am a little leary of guys who go from no chance of being drafted to a top 10 pick in two months. No one had Westbrook as a first round pick, or even in the draft, in January. Similar to guys like Patrick Obryant. Those guys don't typically turn out well.

August Us Seazr · Post #19 » by **August Us Seazr** » Fri May 16, 2008 3:06 am

Cash and Coolio:

I would be interested is seeing what each of you think of Westbrook's "Bust Factor". We have so much good momentum right now, with Coach Brown coming in, and Ammo apparently making a good recovery. If we spend a pick on a guy, I want to have some confidence in his ability to stick- not only in the league, but on the Bobcats!

Rate Westbrook 0 to 5 stars. I'd like to see just how far apart you guys really are.

CarolinaCash · Post #20 » by **CarolinaCash** » Fri May 16, 2008 3:27 am

Again you are wrong amcoolio.....I'm a Carolina grad. You live on the east coast and maybe that's why you haven't heard of Westbrook. He was on the radar his freshman year and not just the last couple of months. UCLA is a deep team and Howland's system doesn't allow a guard to take over. Westbrook would have been a 20ppg scorer on USC, Indiana, Arizona, etc.

There is no way that Westbrook will be a bust. I would draft him with the 3rd pick in this draft and I wouldn't look back. I think he sends JRich or Felton to the bench in one year.